Jennah Farag and her mother, Rasha, who have been marooned in Egypt with Jennah's expired passport, are due to fly home tomorrow.

The 5-year-old Huguenot girl -- an American citizen whose father is a citizen and whose mother is a legal resident here -- has been unable to leave Egypt since Friday, when Egypt Air workers would not let her board a plane in Cairo. Rasha Farag had been working with the American Embassy in Cairo, and getting nowhere, trying to get her daughter a new passport. It wasn't until staffers from Rep. Michael McMahon's office stepped in that they were able to secure a temporary passport to get her home, and even that was not without hassles.

At one point on Tuesday, Rasha and Jennah were outside the embassy unable to get in -- it's closed for "paper day" the last day of every month -- when Jennah's grandfather, Kazem Farag, called from Staten Island to beg embassy workers to let them in. "I said, 'do you remember the girl who was in the paper? She's outside!' " Finally, Jennah and her mother got inside.

Once the passport was secured, the next battle was with Egypt Air, where officials insisted their tickets had expired and that they wouldn't be able to get on a flight until July 14. McMahon's office got in touch with the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to work that out.

"I spoke to Jennah and she was so happy," when she knew she was coming home, said Kazem Farag, a well-known real estate figure on the Island. Jennah asked him to meet her at the airport with a Dora the Explorer balloon.

"I am happy to report that after an incredibly taxing experience, Jennah Farag and her mother, Rasha, will be back home tomorrow," said Rep. Michael E. McMahon. "I commend the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. officials we worked with in Cairo for diligently and expediently working to reunite this family.

"Unfortunately," he said, "these incidents occur far too often. In my position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, I will work to address the shortcomings of our overseas passport services. No family should be left to feel helpless in any U.S. Embassy overseas. I would also encourage any constituents who are traveling to visit my website or contact my office with any concerns. We are here to help." McMahon's D.C. office can be reached at 202-225-3371.